Columbus Is Blowing Up Its Coaching Staff and It's the Sixth Straight Year of Missing the Playoffs

The Columbus Blue Jackets are making major moves behind the bench after another disappointing season. On Friday, the organization announced that assistant coaches Mike Haviland and Scott Ford are out, along with video coach Aron Augustitus. All three were under contract through the 2025-26 season, but the front office has decided to go in a different direction.

This is a big swing for a team that has now missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons. The Blue Jackets finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 40-30-12 record and 92 points, which tells you everything you need to know about where this franchise stands right now. President of hockey operations and general manager Don Waddell and head coach Rick Bowness clearly felt changes were necessary to get this ship turned around.

What Led to the Shake-Up

Here's the timeline: Haviland and Ford both joined the Blue Jackets before the 2024-25 season. Augustitus has been with the organization since 2018, so he's been around for the entire drought. But none of that loyalty mattered when it came time to evaluate what went wrong.

Bowness took over mid-season on January 12 after the team fired head coach Dean Evason and assistant coach Steve McCarthy. Even with Bowness behind the bench, the team went 21-11-5 for the rest of the year, which shows some improvement but clearly wasn't enough to keep the entire staff intact.

What's Next for Columbus

Waddell released a statement saying the changes were made in the best interest of the club moving forward. He acknowledged the hard work of the three coaches and said the organization will begin reviewing candidates to join the staff soon.

The question now is whether new voices can break this streak. Six years without the playoffs in a major market is brutal, and fans are going to expect real answers. The front office is signaling they're serious about making changes, but hiring the right people will determine whether this is actually a turning point or just more of the same.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.